


Spring Cleaning

by EdibleNonsense



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, House Cleaning, blue haired Launch, i can't write fluff so please just take that into consideration lol, takes place technically after King Piccolo saga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdibleNonsense/pseuds/EdibleNonsense
Summary: After getting bombarded with an increasingly hectic to-do list at Kame House, Launch gets a bit of help from an unlikely source.
Relationships: Launch/Tenshinhan (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 10





	1. Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a very kind [anon](https://ediblenonsense.tumblr.com/post/190517855616/this-is-anon-who-almost-cried-over-ur-i-wish-you) I got about six months ago. I've been sitting on this WIP for a while, but hopefully it's good! I wanted to showcase how Tien and Launch can get along pretty well, especially in her blue haired state. And it ended up being two chapters! I'll publish the next one soon, it's already mostly written and just needs to be edited.
> 
> It's also technically set in an AU universe because I couldn't quite get the times right so Tien wouldn't know the Kame House gang, since after the Tournament, Krillin immediately got killed and it segued directly into the King Piccolo saga. Basically, pretend that never happened, and they didn't spend that long together.

“Oh, dear,” Launch murmured, scanning the room. 

The remnants of last night’s training session were scattered all throughout the living room. Hanging from the side of the couch, two small sets of Turtle School’s signature orange gi were resting flat with horrid-looking slashes down the front. Precariously balanced on the dinner table was a stack of empty dishes with matching amounts of utensils, food residue still drying. Three pairs of muddy shoes were haphazardly kicked off near the semi-opened door and a whole pile of opened snack bags were scattered on surfaces throughout what seemed to be the whole downstairs. 

“How did this happen?” she whispered to no one but herself, placing one hand on her cheek. The last thing she remembered was drifting off into a peaceful sleep after a long day outside in the summer sun on the island, so it was possible she had slept through the noisy late-night entry. After all, Krillin and Goku were training in the woods on the mainland from what she last heard, which explained the long travel distance. 

In fact, now that she was giving the house a good look, the whole place seemed like it was devastatingly messy, even more than usual. When was the last time she had dusted or vacuumed? It had been a while since she was in the right frame of mind for cleaning, to put it lightly. Her other self wasn’t one to take initiative in that area.

 _Oh, well! No use in complaining,_ she thought with a small sigh, pushing aside the brief wave of feeling overwhelmed with the tasks set in front of her. Afterall, there was no time, she had so much to do! _Let’s start with those dishes._

Putting a pleasant smile on her face as she wandered over to the sink, she almost gasped when she saw the additional stack of glasses and plates in the left side. 

_Goodness, this may take a bit longer than expected if I want to clean everything today,_ she briefly noted. Her fingers tapped the counter in thought. 

Just then, she heard the distinct sound of shuffling footsteps coming from the back hallway. _That must be them,_ she thought with a start.

“Good morning!” she called out with a cheery tone as the two boys walked into the kitchen. 

“Hi, Launch!” Goku called back first, shortly followed by Krillin giving a sleepy wave. His short black hair was sticking out even more than usual, and they were both dressed in the old sweatpants they often used as pajamas. She noted that Krillin trailed behind a bit, obviously more worn out by last night’s excursion than Goku.

“It certain seems like you two had quite a night yesterday! Would you like some breakfast?” she questioned, temporarily forgetting the stack of dishes in favor of the more pressing issue.

“Would I!” Perking up as soon as food was mentioned, Goku scrambled to sit at the wooden table. Krillin followed suit in the chair next to him, leaning back with a rather weary look on his face and resting a hand dramatically on his stomach.

“Ugh, I never want to walk that far ever again. I don’t care what Roshi says about it being good stamina practice,” he muttered, eyes still closed. 

Not one to back down from any kind of physical challenge, Goku seemed dismayed at the idea of losing his training buddy to exhaustion. “Aww, Krillin!” 

“Well, after all those new ki moves, he made us take turns carrying him on our backs for miles. I think I’m allowed to complain,” the other boy mumbled. Lifting his hand to his face, he wiped it down slowly in a show of annoyance. 

“I kinda liked it. It felt like we were actual turtles. You know, with heavy shells!” Grinning as he thought over the idea he was explaining, the boy kept himself busy ripping up tiny bits from the corners of the napkin Launch had just set in front of him.

“I’d love to see how your mind works sometimes, Goku…” Krillin mused, finally cracking a grin, which only made Goku smile back at him even bigger. In front of them, Launch had turned the stovetop on with only minimal fuss from the burner, making her smile as well. It had been flaky for so long that she almost forgot what it was like to not try the knobs multiple times. 

Humming a bit to herself as the boys continued to talk amongst themselves, she made herself useful cracking eggs and laying thick strips of bacon on the pans in front of her. She knew Krillin loved scrambled eggs, but she was hoping he could make do with only one so that Goku could have one, too. 

_I’ll make it up to him next time I go to the market,_ she thought with a resolute nod. _Oh darn. How long has it been since we’ve restocked the refrigerator?_

Suddenly curious, she hopped over and peeked into the fridge, taking note of the items beyond just the breakfast foods. It was distressingly bare, to her dismay. There wasn’t even enough left for another day, let alone a whole week! Just what was she going to do? 

_Once I make some food for the boys, I can figure it out. First things first,_ she told herself. But that feeling from earlier was coming back with a vengeance. To ward it off, she tried to shift her attention to cheerier thoughts.

“S-So, what’s the plan for today, you two?”

Temporarily stopping his rhythmic tapping on the table, Goku turned to face her and excitedly bounced in his seat. 

“We’re gonna do it again!” 

“Lucky us,” Krillin chimed in with a voice dripping in sarcasm. He hadn’t moved since he had sat down.

“Oh my,” she said in the most encouraging tone she could muster. “Stay safe!” 

“We will, Launch,” Goku shot back with a dual thumbs up and beaming smile. It did make her feel better to see him so excited. 

“You too, Krillin,” she added with what she hoped was a small hint of comfort in her voice. 

“I will,” he replied with genuine thankfulness, temporarily distracted from his mopey persona by the individual attention. His sour expression fading away, he smiled gently. 

Grabbing two clean plates from the drawers, which she noticed were the last ones, she served up a heaping plate of steaming hot food for both of them. As soon as she set the plates down, Krillin instantly perked up. Wasting no time, they attacked the bacon and eggs. 

“Is there any more?” Goku requested as soon as he set his fork down. Launch was only in the middle of washing the first glass from the pile of dishes. 

_That must be a record,_ she thought with a small giggle before sobering up as the question registered.

“I’m so sorry, but there’s not,” she replied softly, frowning for the first time that day. 

“Aww,” Krillin sighed, leaning back against his chair. He had also finished, just seconds after Goku. 

_They’re still hungry! Oh, I feel so bad making them train on a hungry stomach._ Glancing around the kitchen for a solution, her eyes finally landed on something that made her perk up.

“Do you want some ham sandwiches?” she suddenly questioned with a grin, clutching her hands together in relief. There was enough bread left for two for both of them, from what she could see. And she knew there was a pitifully small amount of meat and cheese left in the fridge from earlier.

Goku and Krillin both nodded enthusiastically. They weren’t exactly picky when it came to food, thankfully.

Making four sandwiches on the counter space next to the stove, she watched in awe as they scarfed them down almost as quickly. 

“That was really good! Ok, I’m full now,” Goku proclaimed, giving his stomach a pat and hastily standing up on his chair. Just as she was about to question what he was doing, he jumped off and snapped his hands down to touch his toes. 

“Yeah, it was great, Launch!” Krillin, following suit, seemed completely back to his normal self after finishing a nice, warm meal. Pushing his chair in politely, he stood up and walked over to Goku to stretch alongside him.

After giving one last wave to her, they both eventually ambled away. Right before they walked through the doorway, she saw Krillin slap Goku on the shoulder and yell, “Race you!” A few seconds after that, she could only hear the scamper of footsteps slamming down on the hardwood floor. 

The footsteps ended after a particularly rough-sounding thud and an irritated groan resounded throughout the house. 

“H-Hey! Goku, Krillin, stop messing around before we even get outside! My old bones can’t take that!”

 _Roshi!_ Looking at the dirty dishes and the general state of the house around her, Launch tried to think of a possible explanation. There was also the issue of asking for more money for household supplies, something that typically wouldn’t be as nerve-wracking, if not for the fact she had nothing to show for it at the current moment. 

“Good morning, Launch,” Roshi called out with a brief cough as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. Hands held out, she tried to stop him in order to ask about the money, but he made a beeline to the coffee maker and didn’t turn towards her.

“Master Roshi! I-I would offer you breakfast, but—” 

“No matter,” he cut her off, voice sounding hurried and already frazzled for how early it was in the morning. “I’m not very hungry, and I know those two want to get outside as quickly as possible. Just need my coffee.” 

Pouring the coffee that had been sitting in the machine for an indeterminable amount of time into a clean cup and taking a gulp, he then spit it out almost immediately. Wiping his mouth, the old man hacked out another cough with newly furrowed eyebrows.

“Rather cold! On second thought…” he mumbled into the cup. He promptly set it down and looked around, head whipping in all directions. “Ah!”

Snatching up the dirty shoes on the ground, he slipped them on. 

Launch decided now was as good a time as any. “I do have a quick question. Although the house is in a rather poor state, we need some food! Is there any way to—” 

“Oh yes, yes! The grocery money,” Roshi noted in recognition while nodding his head, foot halfway out the front door. Keeping one hand on the doorknob, he craned his head to the side and bellowed, “Krillin! Goku! We’re not going to make the journey if you don’t hurry!” 

Two annoyed and frenzied voices shouting out overlapping sounds of alarm came from the back of the house as Launch stood in confusion, watching the scene unfold.

“It should be laying on the desk in my room. Just look under the stack of books. I put a map there too of where we’re going, just in case you need to find us,” Roshi added in an obviously distracted tone of voice, still watching the hallway for any sign of movement. 

“A-Alright! Thank you!” Shoulders slumped in relief, Launch finally felt a sign that this day could be looking up for the first time. 

“I think these back-up pants are too long,” Goku whined, popping out of the back room. 

Considering the torn-up uniforms scattered on the couch, he must have been referring to the fact his usual one wasn’t wearable. His one hand was holding onto the bright orange fabric around his waist and the other hand was trying to tie his belt with relatively little success. Rushing out behind him, Krillin appeared fully dressed. 

“Tomorrow, you can borrow an extra uniform from Krillin. But you can’t stop ripping yours up! We only have so many small ones!” 

“Thanks,” Krillin mumbled from behind the two, rolling his eyes. 

“Ok, you two scamps, let’s go!” With a final clap, he ushered the two outside. Scampering out the door himself, Roshi turned and pulled it shut behind him with a firm slam. 

Then it was quiet. 

Letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, Launch looked once again at the living room, the slightly opened door to the bathroom, and the kitchen full of dishes. 

“Goodness me…”

* * *

_Just knock on the door and say what you want to say. Don’t give it another thought._

It had been only a few weeks since Tien had last seen the group of, he suppose he could now call them, friends he had at Kame House. After the whirlwind of a fight against King Piccolo and the usage of the Dragon Balls to revive all those killed by him, life had mostly gone back to normal. Following a short jaunt to the Lookout, even Goku was back where he usually was, eager to continue training with Roshi and Krillin even after Roshi’s protests that he had nothing more to teach them.

The next Tournament may have been on everyone else’s mind, but the only thing on Tien’s was the previous one. Even after everything they had gone through as a group, he still felt a bit out of place when it came to barging in unannounced at the small house on the island. 

_At the very least, it would be best to try to ask. I suppose,_ he thought to himself as he flew over the endless ocean. 

His first instinct was to continue the three years’ training alone, but last night, he had had the idea that perhaps he could train alongside the residents of Kame House for a while. If only to find out what exactly a usual day consisted of, just out of pure curiosity. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he finally saw what he had been scanning the expanse of blue for. The lone island where the bright pink house sat amid palm trees, shores filled with gently rolling waves. Touching down on the warm sand with both shoes flat on the ground, he paused for a second.

_Why did I do this?_

The only reason he hadn’t stopped himself earlier was because of his casual mention to Chiaotzu about the idea. The boy had been rather excited, eagerly agreeing it was nice to see everyone before and telling Tien he should definitely go ahead with it.

Filled with a sudden stinging regret that he had left someone behind who would have greatly eased the awkwardness he was now experiencing, he cringed. In a moment of thoughtlessness, he had insisted he should go alone to save time. 

_Too late now to remedy that,_ he thought, steeling himself as he walked up the stairs and rang the small bell to the right of the door. 

A small voice inside replied. “O-Oh, um, be right there!” 

He recognized that voice. Launch. Now he was really wishing he had brought Chiaotzu along, although part of him couldn’t exactly pinpoint the reason why it would be any different for her than anyone else who answered. But still, he could feel himself tense up as he waited for her to appear.

After a couple seconds of silence, he heard quick footsteps and the sound of a latch unhinging. Then, the rickety door swung open. 

The first thing he noticed was her dark hair falling over her shoulders. Instead of a ribbon to hold her hair back, she had on a gingham bandana that pushed her dark bangs out of the way, along with a matching set of gloves covering her hands.

Her face lit up like the sun the moment she saw him. “Tien! Hi!” 

Seeing her like that, he couldn’t help but warmly give a small smile back. “Hello. I…” 

His attention drawn around her to the rest of the house, he happened to notice the vast array of scattered cleaning materials on the floor and table. 

“Am I interrupting you?” he asked with an apologetic tone.

“O-Oh, no!” Her face instantly fell, but then just as quickly, he saw her smile once again. This time with thinly pursed lips. “It’s just, er, a bit messy right now! Um…” Blinking slightly as she looked back into the house, she paused, seemingly lost in thought.

Part of him wanted to fly away without another word. He was obviously intruding on what was likely a day set aside to clean, from what he could see. Unsure where to go from here, he waited patiently for her to finish.

“It’ll be ok though!” she quickly added as if trying to reassure him, whipping her head back towards him. “Do you need something?” 

He would cut to the chase for her sake and keep his questions short. “Do you happen to know where Roshi, Goku, and Krillin are?” 

“Oh dear. They’re out training right now,” she said with a note of genuine disappointment. Tien felt a pang of guilt in the back of his mind for making her sound like that and rushed to reply.

“It’s alright. I just needed to ask them a question.” 

“Ahh, wait!” Jumping just a bit on her heels, she raised one finger. “I can show you where they are!” 

Turning around fast, she ducked back into the house. Meanwhile, Tien stood mutely on the doorstep. 

_Perhaps she meant for me to follow her?_

Still hesitant to act without explicit permission, he waited for another moment out in the warm air, listening to the sound of seagulls call from the distance.

 _I should follow her,_ he decided resolutely with a small nod. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he stepped through the threshold.

Instantly, he was overwhelmed by the sight of the house. The last time he had been in the main room, it had been relatively clean, but now… 

Old plastic bags and dirtied, obviously-worn clothing was strewn throughout the entirety of the free space. Instead seeing the usually bare counters that were scrubbed to the bone, used plates covered every inch of the kitchen, along with large dish pans and serving spoons hastily thrown down. He gazed at the rooms one by one as he made his way slowly towards the back. Somewhere in the back of the house, he could hear shuffling noises that were likely Launch searching for something. 

After a while, the noises subsided and he heard the sharp click of her shoes on the wood floor again.

“Here it is! No wor—” he heard her start to say.

She skidded to a complete stop when she saw him standing there.

“O-Oh, my…” she managed to stutter out. 

Her cheeks flushing slightly, she put a hand on her face as she stood in front of him. 

Wanting to help ease her obvious embarrassment, he quickly reassured her. “It’s alright.”

 _I should’ve stayed outside. She obviously didn’t want me to see this,_ he thought with an internal grimace.

“It’s rather dirty in here,” she replied despondently, reaching out to hand him a folded piece of paper that he quickly accepted. “And I was just hoping to… catch up. I’ve been falling behind lately.”

Unfolding it, he saw a rough map of what appeared to be the mainland near the island. Near the middle, there was a hastily drawn circle in red pen. That was it. The training place he was searching for. 

“No, I was the one who intruded,” he murmured softly. She didn’t reply to his words, instead letting her hands fall to her side as she slowly twisted her apron strings nervously around her fingers. He pretended to not see her fiddling with it, keeping his eyes on the paper far longer than it took to actually read it.

Then he lifted his head up. Folding the creases slowly, he held the handwritten page in his hand for a moment and just felt the smooth surface of the paper. It was clear what he should do. 

Walking over to the table, in one smooth motion he slipped the neatly folded map inside his pants pocket and reached out to grab the discarded trash laying out. Bending at the knees, he began to place all the remaining wrappers into the trash bag. 

“Tien, you don’t need to do that!” The tone in her voice had switched from embarrassment to shock. 

After a moment’s pause, he decided to be honest about his intentions. “This is too much for one person,” he stated without any pretense. 

It was obvious to see that no one would be back in time to help her with this, and even the hours left in the day weren’t enough for her to do it all on her own. And truth be told, it didn’t feel right leaving her alone like this, on an island so far from any kind of human contact. It must be a long, quiet day without anyone to talk to. He remembered how she smiled when she saw him at the door. 

“A-Are you sure? Don’t you want to ask Roshi and the boys your question?” 

“It’s not urgent,” he said, a little quieter than before.

She paused. “As long as you’re sure! I’d feel bad pulling you away from that!” 

“Trust me. It’s not a bother at all.” 

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, she nodded once as she stopped fidgeting with her apron and turned to face him again. Turning just enough to let her see his face, he gave one resolute nod. 

“Alright,” she replied with just a hint of a laugh. The sight made a smile creep back on his face.


	2. A Little Help

The next hours passed relatively smoothly. With the two steadily working in tandem to clear the living room of junk and rearrange the furniture, the front rooms of Kame House were soon cleaner than they had been in recent memory. Old socks and ripped chip packages were no longer scattered on every available flat space. The light coming in from the sun outside even reflected on the waxed top of the table instead of on the crumbs previously scattered on the surface. By the time they were close to finished with everything, the sun had started to set, casting a blissfully serene spectrum of colors on the ocean waves outside.

As the day went on, Launch’s anxiety from earlier about getting everything done in time melted away. She even began chipping away at washing the stacks of dirty dishes on the counters.

“Do these need mended?” 

Tien’s words brought her out of her thoughts and back to the present. Twisting her head around from the sink to see what he was referring to, Launch noticed him holding one of the dirtied and torn Turtle school uniforms. 

“Oh, yes. I can get to that as soon as I finish these,” she replied quickly, gesturing to the dish she was in the middle of wiping down. 

“No rush. I can fix them myself.” 

She nodded automatically at his confident tone, but then stood with a quizzical look on her face. Had she heard that right? Keeping her head turned just enough to see him in the living room, Launch watched in quiet curiosity as he gathered all three uniforms in his arms. 

Tien appeared to be searching for something. He tossed a question over his shoulder as his eyes scanned the room. “Do you have any needles and thread?”

“In the closet right there!” Pointing to the compact hall closet, she watched as he opened the door and quickly spread the sparse contents of the sewing basket out on the table. Deftly picking up the needle stuck in the pincushion, he threaded it after only two tries. 

Abandoning her place at the sink, Launch wandered over to watch Tien work with a dish towel absentmindedly clutched in her hand. He had started on the giant rip in the knee of Goku’s uniform. His stitches were precise and even; his hands moving automatically back and forth, almost like a machine. It was obvious this wasn’t his first time fixing this kind of course material.

“Wow!” she exclaimed softly under breath, unable to keep from speaking aloud. 

Surprised, he looked up, freshly broken out of his concentrated state. Blinking at her, he waited for her to speak, almost like he had no idea what she could be thinking.

“Those are some quick stitches! You’re really good at sewing,” she said cheerily, her voice filled to the brim with genuine admiration. 

“Oh. Thank you.” Maybe it was her imagination, but the tips of his ears seemed to redden slightly at her words. Turning his head back down to the task at hand, he continued on like before. This time, however, his hands were no longer working at the instinctively quick pace, but a more relaxed one. 

“You must’ve practiced a lot at it!” Putting her hands on her knees, she crouched to better see the details in his handiwork. He didn’t move a muscle as she crept closer, except to continue to stitch.

“We… were responsible for keeping our uniforms intact in Crane School,” he stated matter-of-factly, in a softer tone than before. The needle kept moving rhythmically as she scrambled for a reply.

“Ahh, I see!”  _ Oh dear, hopefully I didn’t upset him by reminding him of that,  _ she realized a minute too late. 

Launch could tell he had stiffened slightly at her words, even though he was trying his best to hide the reaction.

Thinking fast, she switched topics. “I-I wonder if anything else needs done before I start on cleaning the bathroom. I can go check.”

He nodded once, gaze still fixed on the uniform. Walking quickly off, she checked the front rooms for any discarded clothes or dishes she had missed. Nope, they were all cleaner than she had ever seen them! In the back of her mind, she was mentally running through what she had left to do.

_ Clean the bathroom… fix up the coat closet… start the laundry… and that may be about it! _ She hummed a bit as she realized this day was close to over. 

Popping her head in Roshi’s room, she paused as her eyes fell on the white envelope standing starkly out against the dark wood of the dresser. 

The food money. She never went shopping for food. 

“Oh, no!” she exclaimed, forgetting to keep quiet. 

Tien’s voice traveled from the other room. “What is it?”

“U-Uh, nothing. It’s alright!” Feeling the edge of the paper against her skin, she made a snap decision. She shoved the stack of money in her pocket and decided to forget about it for the time being. But still, she berated herself. How could she be so scatterbrained? The market she usually went to wasn’t open this late, and the chance to shop had completely passed her by. She thought once again about how Krillin and Goku had looked pleadingly at her for more food at breakfast.

Maybe it would be best to wait for herself to sneeze again before dealing with it. After all, her other self was good at letting people down. She just hoped she would sneeze before dinnertime. 

Launch spoke up again loudly enough for him to hear. “I just have to finish cleaning the bathroom and then we’re almost done!”

* * *

Tien turned the bottle over in his hands until he saw the label. Shampoo. That was it. He placed it in a separate area from the half-empty stack of body washes.

The two of them decided to tackle the bathroom together, since it was the most labor-intense of the three remaining options. He wasn’t even close to tired, but he could see Launch seemed a bit disgruntled as she worked. Her eyebrows had been knit together ever since they walked into the cramped space, and even though she flashed him a small smile whenever he glanced over, her face seemed to spell trouble whenever she thought he wasn’t looking. 

Eventually, he heard a soft murmur come from behind him. “Goodness. Sorry there’s so much to catch up on.” 

Lost for a second in thought as he read the label on the next bottle, he suddenly furrowed his brows at her words when they registered in his mind. “Catch up?” 

“I usually keep this place much cleaner than this! But I must not have sneezed for a while,” she continued, bending down to scrub the side of the toilet. 

_ Of course,  _ he thought with a nod. From what little he had seen before, it made sense that she wouldn’t quite find cleaning a priority in that state. 

Then something occurred to him. “You mean you’re the only one cleaning this whole house?” 

“Yes,” she answered with a small hint of shame. She didn’t look up, still keeping her gaze on the toilet. 

“That’s ridiculous. This place is far too big for one person to clean,” he said in a low voice. 

“Well, it’s part of the agreement I have with Master Roshi,” she hurriedly reassured him in a cheery voice, giving him a quick hand wave as she finally turned towards him. “I’m fine with it!”

His brows furrowed. “What agreement?” Perhaps he really didn’t know anything about how the Turtle School operated after all. 

“I can stay here for free as long as I can keep it clean and cook if people want a meal! It’s quite a nice deal,” she chirped. 

Tien stopped scrubbing as he thought about her words. In all the time he had known her, he had just assumed she was a guest in Kame House, same as Krillin and Goku. Then again, it never occurred to him to ask her the origins of how she came to live there. 

“I see. When did this come about?” 

“Well…” Launch giggled a bit as she turned the whole way around to face him directly. “A while ago, the boys found me after I had just robbed a train. And instead of leaving me to fend for myself with the police, they helped me out. They took me to Kame House and introduced me to Master Roshi. I even got to ride on Nimbus! It was all very welcoming.”

Her last sentence ended on a high note, her voice full of joy. Deep inside, his gut told him that she was leaving out some crucial details about how that particular event went down, but a larger part of him didn’t want to pressure her to share anything she didn’t offer up to discuss. 

“It’s fortunate that they found you when they did,” he replied in a solemn tone. 

“Yes! It  _ was _ really lucky.” She smiled brightly, scrunching her eyes closed as she did so. “I’m so glad I got to meet all of you!” 

Unsure how to reply, Tien shifted uncomfortably on his legs and looked back down. Her overwhelmingly direct words, as kind as they were, had him searching for something to say to shift the focus onto a more neutral topic. 

Finally, he settled on a question. “Should I scrub this or leave it as it is?” He gestured to the tiles on the floor. 

“Oh, they’re fine as they are!” As quickly as she had been distracted from the work in the first place, she turned back around to focus again on cleaning, her hands folding the paper towel she was using over to wipe. 

“Alright,” he replied with a nod. 

After that exchange, neither one spoke for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Tien tried to concentrate on the task at hand but soon realized he was parched.

Setting the brush he was using down, he said, “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want one?” 

“No, I’m alright. Thank you,” Launch replied distractedly, focusing now on the sink. Dried toothpaste and other various stains were slowly giving way to a pristine white finish as she scrubbed. 

Tien nodded and walked over to the fridge. As soon as he opened the door, he paused at the sight in front of him.

It was frighteningly empty, to the point where the only edible-looking items were butter, an old withered apple, and some sort of… alcoholic drink? He wasn’t exactly interested in trying it out in order to know for certain. 

_ She must not have had enough time to grocery shop lately.  _ As he stood in front of the empty shelves and listened to the faint sound of the brush scratching from the other room, he came to a decision. 

Stepping back to the bathroom doorway, he stated shortly, “Launch, I’ll be back.” She whipped her head around in surprise, eyes wide in surprise and then calm in acceptance. 

He could hear her replying with a quick, “Oh. Sure!” as he opened the front door and took off into the sky.

* * *

Chiaotzu heard the wooden door unlatch and creak open.

There was only one possibility for who was currently entering. “Tien!” he exclaimed out loud. 

Jumping out of the cross-legged pose he was in, he ran over to greet the man. Try as he could, meditation never came easily to him, so any distraction was a welcome one.

“Hello, Chiaotzu,” Tien replied distractedly as he immediately made a beeline towards the small bag of personal items he kept near his bed. Yanking open the drawstring, he rustled around the sack until he swiftly pulled out a thick white envelope. 

Chiaotzu immediately furrowed his brow at his pace. He certainly hadn’t expected to see Tien in such a hurry. “Aren’t you out training with Master Roshi? Or are you done already?” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few hours,” Tien continued to say without looking up, stuffing a decent portion of the wad of cash from the envelope into his pocket as he stood up and turned back toward the door. “Keep the fireplace burning.” 

Giving a quick nod, Chiaotzu replied, “A-Alright!” And then as quickly as Tien entered, he vanished, leaving Chiaotzu standing alone in confusion. 

“What could he need the Tournament money for?” he whispered to himself. 

* * *

Outside of Kame House, the waves lapped at the sand, leaving soft indentations where they were just seconds ago. Launch stood on the porch and looked out over the ocean. By now, the sun had completely set and it was almost time for Roshi, Goku, and Krillin to return home. 

Tien had left suddenly an hour or so ago, probably to tend to a more important matter. Or at least, that’s what she assumed.

_ It was kind of him to help me out as much as he did, _ she thought to herself, keeping watch over the expanse of dark blue water. Her hands fiddled with the gingham bandana she had had on her head just moments ago.  _ I just wish I had said a proper thank you. _

She thought about the last time they had seen each other, before all the horrible fights with King Piccolo and his minions. They were surrounded by the whole group that had attended, Yamcha, Bulma, Puar, and Oolong included, laughing and talking at dinner out at one of the many restaurants near the Tournament grounds. Everyone’s eyes had been on Goku, battle-weary and ravenous as he gulped down the steaming pile of food in front of him. But from time to time, she had also made sure to glance over at Tien as he sat absorbing the dynamics of the small group, calmly eating his meal next to Chiaotzu. At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now she did wonder if he felt a bit awkward around the six or so of them. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that the two schools were bitter rivals.

_ I do wish he’d visit more. It would be nice to— _

“Launch.” 

Blinking rapidly as if she had just woken up, she turned around at the sound of her name. Standing to the right of the porch was Tien, brown paper bags hanging off both his arms.

“Oh, you’re back!” She must have looked as happy as she felt, because a ghost of a smile appeared on his face too the second he saw her. Stepping down from the porch and placing the bandana in her pocket, she approached him and glanced at the bags in his hands out of curiosity as he held them out. 

“This is for you,” he stated. Pausing for a second, he corrected hurriedly, “For Kame House.” 

Gently peering through the top of the paper bag nearest her, she almost gasped when she saw what he was referring to. What was staring back at her was a whole variety of fresh food. There were bright green apples, ears of corn, a carton of eggs, and even frozen meat, plus more items buried underneath the top layer of food.

“My goodness! Where did you get all this?” Her voice was hushed as the realization of what just happened sunk in. Poking around the bag, she could tell he had made sure to buy multiple of each item, likely enough for each person currently living there. There was plenty for everyone, likely for a week if not more.

“Just a quick trip to a farm on the mainland. I know it isn’t much, but I saw you were out of food.” 

Looking up at him with slightly watery eyes, Launch clasped her hands together in pure happiness. She felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. “Oh Tien, thank you so much!” 

“It’s nothing, really,” he replied stiltedly, turning his head down to avoid her gaze. The slight redness from earlier crept up his face, but it was hardly noticeable against the dark sky. Launch opened her mouth, about to explain to him just how worried she was before, when the two heard an excited voice pipe up from behind them.

“Hey, Tien—!” Goku screamed across the length of the beach, stretching the words out in exuberance. His dark orange uniform was dripping wet as he stood along the ocean shore. “How are ya?” 

Behind him, Krillin waved once in greeting, wringing water from his uniform. Roshi, who appeared to be dry, hobbled over to the two young adults who were standing closer to the house.

“What’s going on?” Roshi asked Tien with a rather unusually serious look, his head turned down so his eyes were looking directly out the top of his sunglasses. “Anything wrong?” 

“No. Just visiting, Master Roshi,” Tien quickly replied. He glanced at Launch and then back at the two boys making their way to the door. 

Roshi instantly relaxed, turning his head back up in relief. “Good to hear! That look on your face had me worried for a second there!” With a short burst of laughter ending in a snort, he made his way up the steps and into the house. Launch wasn’t quite sure what to make of that reply, glancing once at Tien again. He seemed a bit taken back by the quip, but his face soon relaxed back into the calm and steady gaze it had before.

Sounds of footsteps grew louder. Wiping the corners of her eyes and grinning widely, Launch reached her hand out to give a short wave to Krillin and Goku. “Hello, you two!”

“Hi, Launch,” they both replied in unison while Goku started to climb the stairs. But then, instead of continuing inside the door, he paused to stare at the brown paper bags.

“Hey, what’s in there?” Not waiting for an answer, he jumped up just enough to see the fresh fruit sticking out of the top. Mouth already watering before he hit the ground, he yelled with a certain sense of anticipation, “Ooh, food!” 

“Here.” Shifting the bags in his hands, Tien gave two to Goku and two to Krillin to carry. The two boys scrambled to search through the packages, exclaiming as they pulled out all varieties of cooking ingredients and vegetables.

Launch didn’t want to ruin their fun, but she did know that it was likely there were items that should be kept cold inside there. The last thing she’d want to do is ruin the food Tien had gone out of his way to get. “Could you both be dears and put those away for me?” she gently requested. 

“Sure thing!” Krillin exclaimed as soon as the words left her mouth, picking his up and going inside without a second thought. Goku followed suit as soon as he saw Krillin on the move, haphazardly letting the wood door slam shut against the frame after stepping inside. 

Now it was just the two of them alone outside once more.

Tien was the first one to speak, his voice low. “I should leave. I promised Chiaotzu I’d be back soon.” 

“Oh, sure!” Launch nodded as she felt a twinge of sadness in her stomach, her hands nervously tugging once again at her apron. She had only been seconds from inviting him to dinner, which perhaps would seem rather presumptuous to do now.

As she stood in place, her hands drifted absentmindedly to the pockets of her skirt. Suddenly, she perked up as they brushed something rough and flat. The food money from earlier. Perfect! At the very least, she could thank him once more by paying him back. 

She piped up again, shoulders back and head turned upward. “Please, at least take this with you.” 

Thrusting her hand out, she held the envelope in front of his confused face. Blinking a few times as he stared at the envelope, Tien shook his head in reply as he realized what it was. 

“It’s fine. The groceries didn’t cost much.” He wasn’t smiling; he was deadly serious. Something told her that he’d almost prefer it if she kept the money. 

“A-Are you sure?” she questioned once more, just in case. 

An affirmative nod from him. “It wasn’t any trouble.”

Tien lightly placed a hand on the envelope and pushed it back towards her, his fingers just barely touching the tips of hers. Then, suddenly shy, he paused and quickly drew his hand back, raising it to his mouth to cough lightly as he looked away.

As she hastily put the envelope back in her pocket, he turned to face the sea, giving a short farewell nod as he did so. Her heart clenched up as she saw that he was preparing to fly away already. Today had been such a nice visit, and she had no clue when he would travel across the wide expanse of ocean to see them again. 

Suddenly, something occurred to her. “Oh, wait!” she called just before his feet left the sand. Pausing, he immediately turned his head around to see what she had to say.

“Didn’t you have something to ask Roshi and the boys?” 

He paused, looking at her. Behind them, the waves lapped at the shore, a droning rush that drowned out all other sounds besides the cries of the few seagulls left floating aimlessly over the house. “I was planning to come back another time to talk to them.” His words came out hesitantly, almost like he was unsure if he was being audacious by suggesting the solution. “If you’ll have me.”

“Of course!” The thought alone made her feel light as a feather. 

That response garnered another gentle smile from him, which then faded back into a pleasantly relaxed neutral expression. “Goodbye for now, then.”

“Yes, bye-bye! Have a nice dinner! Tell Chiaotzu hello for me,” she called as he took off.

Giving him a hearty wave as he hovered above the ground and made headway out over the sky, she kept watch until he faded from view. She stood in the salty air for a few minutes afterward, just breathing in the scent of the shore. 

Just to herself, she whispered softly, “I’m glad I got to see you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue-haired Launch is more fun to write than I thought; I feel a lot more comfortable writing her than I did at the beginning of this fic tbh. Anyway, hope this came out ok! I love any and all feedback.


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